Course Outline - OR

The Ottoman Renaissance, 1413-1575

6 Sessions (2 hours per session): Weekly

The Ottoman Renaissance is a topic of considerable originality, and one that contributes to a growing body of scholarship, cutting across multiple disciplines of the humanities, that has sought to expand the conceptual definition of "The Renaissance" in ways that include the artistic and cultural traditions of non-European societies during the early modern period. The specific focus of the course is the development of Ottoman mosque and monumental tomb architecture, although in a way that also includes other decorative arts (such as Iznik ceramics, calligraphy, and the arts of the book), as well as several contemporary discussions of architecture and its intersection with both state ideology and cultural identity that were composed by Ottoman literati during the period under review. First, the course has a broad chronological scope: while most existing studies and courses of "The Ottoman Renaissance" focus rather narrowly on either the reign of Sultan Mehmed II (d.1481) or Süleyman the Magnificent (d.1566), this course covers the entire period from the early 15th century in 1413 to the end of the 16th century (1575), thereby presenting a much more coherent and comprehensive narrative than has been available now. Second, the course is directly comparable to its contemporary European equivalent despite the fact that its primary cultural reference points as the course will stress is in the Timurid and Islamicate rather than the Greco-Roman past.

Aims

The course aims to demonstrate through a systematic comparison of Ottoman textual sources including architectural and fine arts with the foundational writings of Giorgio Vasari, the first Renaissance author to elaborate a concept of Rinascita or "Rebirth" in describing the art and architecture of his own day. According to Vasari, Italian (and more specifically Florentine) art and architecture drew inspiration from the classical past through a systematic and dialectic process that progressed from imitazione (imitation) to adeguazione (adaptation) and finally perfezzione (perfection), culminating in the transcendent figure of Michelangelo, who successfully surpassed his antique models to create an entirely new standard of artistic expression for future generations. In a similar way, this course demonstrates that Ottoman art went through a an analogous evolution - defined in a similarly self-conscious way - from numune (a model), to tecdid (restoration or renewal), and finally ihtira (originality), which attained zuhūrat (perfection) in order to a'zam (surpass) the past. This typology is one that specialists in the study of Ottoman art and architecture have alluded to in the past, but it is presented in this course an lucid and systematic way that will engender considerable discussion and re-evaluate current understanding of "The Renaissance".

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, you should be able to:

Recognise the revisionist and global perspectives of the term 'Renaissance'
Analyse and discuss the major artistic works of the early modern Ottoman Empire through primary and secondary sources including visual
Develop and extend their knowledge and understanding of cultural, artistic and political systems of the early modern Ottoman Empire and cross-cultural interactions with both the Islamic East and Latin West
Critically analyse the art historical symbolisms of the early modern Ottoman aesthetics

Content

This course covers the following topics:

Session 1 Introduction: The Renaissance Paradigm

This session focuses on defining the "Renaissance" from traditionalist pan-European and Ottoman perspectives. Number of sources will be discussed from both Western and Turkish historians to help define what we mean by the term 'Renaissance'.

Session 2 The Links to the Past

This session focuses on the Timurid-Persian-Turkic-Islamic and Roman/Byzantine influences on Ottoman art and architecture in the 15th century. This will cover the Ottomans' reliance on their inherited Islamic and Greco-Roman past to stage their 'renaissance'. The patronages of Sultan Mehmed I (d.1421) and Sultan Mehmed II (d.1481) will be closely studied.

Session 3 Surpassing the Past: Ottoman Architecture

Ottoman monumental architecture by Mimar Sinan (Ottoman imperial architect, d.1588) will be the focus here - the Süleymaniye (1557) and Selimiye Mosques (1575). Closely analysing these two structures the students will see how the Byzantine/Roman Hagia Sophia inspired Sinan's work. However, rather than imitating the past, Sinan demonstrates through his autobiographies that he excelled and surpassed the past, like his counterparts in Renaissance Italy, by creating structures that embody distinctive Ottoman Renaissance features and aesthetics.

Session 4 Word of God, art of Man

The focus for this lecture will be the art of 16th century Iznik ceramic tiles that were used for decorative aesthetics in mosques, palaces and tombs. This lecture will focus on the specific mosque by Sinan - the Rustem Pasha Mosque - one where its interior is totally covered with glistening tiles. Anagogical and eschatological readings of the floral motifs of the tiles of the portico, qibla wall and the mihrab will reinforce the Sufi humanist approach and Ottoman Renaissance mindset. In this session you will have an opportunity to see imitation 16th century Iznik tiles when learning about the symbolisms of the floral motifs.

Session 5 Illustrated histories and the self-fashioning of a Renaissance Sultan

In this lecture the focus will be in the miniature paintings from the Süleymanname (The Illustrated history of Süleyman the Magnificent). Through close analysis of selected paintings the students will gain understanding of how the sultan used propaganda to bolster his image in the Islamic East and Latin West. To do this he relied on using the 11th century Persian exemplar - Firdausi's Shahname (Book of Kings) highlighting the sultan's connections to the mythical past and exemplifying his heroic deeds.

Session 6 Legacy of Ottoman Renaissance material culture

This session focuses on the Ottoman Renaissance legacy and its centrifugal influence on the material culture of the neighbouring regions of the Ottoman Empire. The session looks at how early modern Ottoman art reflected the greatness of the Empire's rulers and the magnificence of the sultans' court. Ottoman material culture was positively received in fifteenth- and sixteenth-century Europe, from Moscow, Warsaw, Budapest, and Venice to London. The evidence used to support this comes from the many Ottoman objects, both original and imitative, which found their way into the courts and palaces of the time. These objects include ceremonial helmets, maces, armour, and carpets in Anatolian Uşak styles. There are also Ottoman-inspired thrones, where uncut gemstones have been independently mounted in flower-shaped gold mounts, made possible by techniques that had been copied from Ottoman craftsmen; textiles with distinct Ottoman embroidery depicting tulip and carnation motifs; and ceramics that were inspired by Iznik ware. These objects celebrate the global nature of the Renaissance. They are a product of a vibrant culture and demonstrate that its creative, aesthetic, and stylistic progress influenced visual tastes beyond its borders.

Prerequisites

Intended audience

Both undergraduate and post-graduate students of art history, early modern history and Renaissance studies will greatly benefit from this revisionist perspective of the course.

Participants interested in extending their knowledge of Ottoman Renaissance art history with a revisionist, inclusive and global approach will appreciate the course.

Delivery style

Weekly Online Lecture with audio-visual presentation
Online discussion forums
Analysing written and visual sources

Materials

Writing pad / laptop

PRESCRIBED TEXT AND OR RECOMMENDED READING

Inalcik, Halil. The Ottoman Empire: The Classical Age 1300-1600. London: Orion Publishing Co., 2001.

MacClean, Gerald, ed. Re-Orienting the Renaissance: Cultural Exchanges With the East. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005.

Shaw, Stanford J. History of the Ottoman Empire and Modern Turkey: Empire of the Gazis: The Rise and Decline of the Ottoman Empire 1280-1808 Volume 1. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002.

Mustafa, Metin. The Ottoman Renaissance: A Reconsideration of Early Modern Ottoman Art, 1413-1575. New Jersey: Blue Dome Press, 2019.

Mustafa, Metin. Ottoman Renaissance Art: From Mehmed I to Selim II. Sydney: Centre for Ottoman Renaissance and Civilisations, 2020. Revised Edition.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

TUTOR BIOGRAPHY

Metin Mustafa is a former secondary teacher of history with over two decades of teaching experience. He holds a PhD in Ottoman Renaissance art from The University of Notre Dame Australia and Bachelor of Education in Humanities from The University of Sydney. He lectured and tutored the units The History of Western Civilisation and Religious Traditions in Multicultural Australia at The University of Notre Dame Australia and Charles Sturt University respectively. Dr. Metin Mustafa also taught Teaching Methodology at the Australian Catholic University. He presented at numerous history conferences on cross-cultural interactions in the early modern period:

Sultan Mehmed II and Rethinking the Renaissance (University of Sydney)
Ottoman Renaissance Material Culture in Early Modern Europe (University of Sydney)
Renaissance Self-Fashioning of Süleyman the Magnificent (University of Notre Dame Australia)
Representations of the Divine and Salvation: An Alternative Reading of Sinan's Iznik tiles of Rustem Pasha Mosque and Michelangelo's Last Judgement (University of Sydney)
History and gender in Sultan Murad III's Surname-i Hümayun 1582,
Islam, Ottoman Turks and Orientalism (Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, 1999)
Abraham: Our Ancestor - Judaism, Christianity and Islam (Aquinas Academy, Sydney, 1998)

Metin is the founder of the Centre for Ottoman Renaissance and Civilisation. Between 2019 and 2023, he taught Ottoman and Renaissance art history courses at The University of Sydney Centre for Continuing Education. His research interests include: Early modern Mediterranean cross-cultural interactions; civilisation of the Ottoman Renaissance (1400-1683); the idea of many renaissances. He is the author of the monograph: The Ottoman Renaissance: A Reconsideration of Early Modern Ottoman Art, 1413-1575 and History of Ottoman Renaissance Art: From Mehmed I to Selim II. His other publications include: Michelangelo meets Sinan: Representations of the Divine, Salvation and Paradise in Renaissance Art, The Ottoman Renaissance and the Early Modern World, 1400-1699 (Essays Series Complete Edition), 'The Divine Comedy’ of Süleyman Çelebi and Mir Heidar: A Sufi Mystical Reading of Early Modern Turkic Representations of Prophet Muhammad's 'Isra' and 'Mir'aj' and Oriental Imaginings, Occidental Re-Fashioning: Turquerie, the Tulip Age and Ottoman Modernity, 1683-1867.